Past Events

Novel methods in recent years have been developed for numerically solving the hydrodynamical and MHD equations relevant to all kinds of astrophysical flows. I will first (briefly) present one such computational technique, where the numerical grid follows the MHD flow using a "moving mesh". I will then present some astrophysical scenarios for which I have applied this method, including planet formation and high-energy transients such as supernovae and gamma ray bursts.

Cosmological simulations are among the most powerful tools
available to probe the non-linear regime of cosmic structure formation.
They also provide a clear test-bed for understanding the impact that
hydrodynamics and feedback processes have on the evolution of galaxies. I
will present an overview of modern galaxy formation simulations that couple a
novel moving mesh computational method with explicit baryon feedback
prescriptions.

Most observations of the Milky Way's gas and dust are limited to two dimensions; their angular distribution is precisely measured, but their distribution in distance is much more uncertain. Large surveys of stars can be used to resolve this uncertainty. Because light from stars is absorbed and scattered by intervening material before observation on earth, the Galaxy's stars can be used as a dense network of lighthouses to illuminate the structure and properties of the Milky Way's interstellar medium.

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) has spectacularly advanced our understanding of the origin, composition, and evolution of our universe. Yet there is still much to glean from this, the oldest light in the universe. Powerful telescopes are plying the skies in a quest to discover new physics. This talk concentrates on measurements by cutting-edge CMB telescopes which offer a glimpse into an exhilarating, and largely unexplored branch of astrophysics: the search for unique signatures in the polarization of the CMB.